Level 1 Actions Part B: Level 3 Actions - Donegal County Council

Group Housing compared to 1999 when there was 68 families living in such conventional housing. One of the
most notably trends over the period was the decline in those families living in roadside or unauthorized sites
from 35 families in 1999 to 4 families in 2007. In 2007, there were 16 families living in permanent or
temporary sites in County Donegal. Please note that due to a change in categorization of data in 2008, it is
only possible to present a 9-year analysis. Tables 1 - 3
Religion
Muslims are now the third largest religious groups in the State
The top three religions in the State are Roman Catholic (3,681,446), Church of Ireland including Protestants,
(125,585) and 32,539 persons stated that their religion is Muslim or Islam; this had grown by 70% (13,392)
over the period 2002 – 2006. See Table 4(a), 4(b) & 5(a).
Top 3 religions in the Border Region and County Donegal – Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland,
and Presbyterians
The top three religions in the Border Regional Authority area are Roman Catholic (410,610), Church of Ireland
including Protestants, (17,590) and 9,923 persons stated that their religion is Presbyterian. County Donegal
carries a similar trend with Roman Catholics (127,258), Church of Ireland (6583), and Presbyterians (5380).
See Tables 5(a) & 5(c)
The Border Region and County Donegal had a higher percentage growth in the number of
Catholics
The percentage growth in Roman Catholics (6.3%) was lower at State level than in the Border Regional
Authority Area (7.2%) and County Donegal (6.8%). However, in 2006, County Donegal ranks 4 th lowest in the
State in terms of the percentage of Roman Catholics (86.4%) in 2006, only surpassed by Cavan (86.3%),
Wicklow (81.8%) and Dublin (81.4%). See Table 6(a) – 6(b).
The Border Region and County Donegal has a lower percentage growth in the number of
Protestants
The percentage growth in Church of Ireland including Protestants (8.6%) was higher at State level than in the
Border Regional Authority Area (5.4%) and County Donegal (4.4%). See Table 5(a) – 5(c).
County Donegal has one of the most diverse religious mixes in the State
County Donegal is the 7 th largest county in the State in terms of population with the 7 th largest number of
Roman Catholics (127,258 persons) in the State, however none of the other religion retains this ranking in
relation to its population size. County Donegal ranks 3 rd highest in the State in terms of the number of
Methodists (702 persons), it ranks 2nd highest in terms of the number of Presbyterians (5830 persons) and it
ranks 4 th highest in terms of the number of Church of Ireland including Protestants (6583 persons), it ranks
12 th highest with numbers claiming they have no religion (3474 persons), it ranks 15 th highest in terms of the
numbers of Muslim incl. Islamic (375 persons), it ranks 23 rd highest in terms of Orthodox religions (141
persons). See Table 6(a) – 6(b)
Increase in persons of ‘No religion’
The growth in people selecting “no religion” as a category has becoming increasingly evident since 1961 rising
from 11 persons to 3474 persons in 2006, or an increase of 2.4%, compared to a 4.4% increase in the State.
See Table 7(a) – 7(d).